Fred Negro

Fred Negro is a St Kilda satirist, musician, songwriter, and cartoonist. Fred has fronted numerous Rock, Punk and Country bands, with great success, including: The Editions (drums), I Spit On Your Gravy (vocals/drums), and vocals for The Band Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Gravybillies, The Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre, Shonkytonk, The Fuck Fucks, Squirming Gerbil Death, The Twits, They Might Be Negroes, The Eggs, 57 Pages of Pink, The Black Moles, Little Freddie and the Pops, Giraffe Party.

Photo: Tim Chmielewski

Fred has maintained a significant underground presence with regular appearances in his other bands and, until recently, MC'd the long running and legendary Kooky Karaoke night at the Greyhound Hotel, St Kilda. Fred contributes the infamous weekly Pub Strip to the Melbourne street press.

Sean Kelly

After a stint in early Punk Pop bands with James Freud (The Spred and Teenage Radios Stars), Sean Kelly formed Models with members of the defunct JAB. Ash Wednesday (keys) was soon replaced by Andrew Duffield and the line up of Kelly, Duffield, Mark Ferrie and Johnny Crash established themselves as one of the best bands to come out of Melbourne's seminal Post-Punk scene. The hardest touring band at the time and regular chart attacks, Models were Australia's favourite Indy Pop band.

National and international chart success finally came when James Freud replaced Mark Ferrie on bass and Barton Price took over the drums. I Hear Motion charted well but their first number one, Outa Mind, Outa Sight, had them playing stadiums and touring the US.

Elroy Flicker

Elroy Flicker is the stage name of Paul Cumming, a Western Australian musician, columnist, cartoonist and radio presenter who has played in many influential bands all over Australia. Paul has lived and played in St Kilda for most of his career.

Paul commenced the long running 3PBS Saturday arvo radio show The Moving And Grooving Hour starring the Swingin' Sidewalks and Cumming as compere/MC Elroy 'We're moving and grooving now!' Flicker.

In early 1991 Paul was involved in a car crash which left him a quadripligic. After a year of rehab Paul has switched instruments to the Hawiian lap-style and formed The Bootless & Unhorsed, folk/blues yokels The Try-Tones, Chicago blues desperadoes The Nine Slab Riders and Paul Cumming & The Hi-Fi Set!

Fiona Lee Maynard

FLM went to music night-school in St Kilda from 1982-1984. There were 3 main campuses; Seaview Ballroom, Prince Of Wales and The Venue. There were multiple teachers; Fred Negro, Crushed Buzzards, The Moodists, Models, The Wet Ones, The Divinyls, Sunnyboys, Huxton Creepers, Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists, The Numbers, Paul Kelly and The Dots, Little Murders, The Hard Ons, X, Hunters & Collectors, The Shindiggers, The Boweevils, Corpse Grinders, Olympic Sideburns, Blue Ruin, Intoxica, Aloi Head & The Victor Motors. (And most out of town bands chose to stay in St Kilda when touring Victoria, so you'd never know who you'd run into walking down Fitzroy Street from The Ballroom to the POW. You still don't!)

Photo: Tameika Brumby

So inspired by the outstanding array of Australian talent she had witnessed, at 15 years of age, for her day-school drama project, she learned bass and wrote and recorded her first song at Melbourne School Of Audio Engineering which was then located on Inkerman Street, St Kilda.

From early days of, Earwigs U.P (1985) supporting Venom P. Stinger at The Grosvenor, T.I.S.M and Shower Scene From Psycho at The Venue, to recording and relentless live performances up and down the East Coast of Australia in Have A Nice Day (H.A.N.D) 1988 – 1993, and forming In Vivo with guitarist James Lomas, recording and performing in USA whilst residing in CA 1996-1998, Fiona Lee Maynard has always returned back to her Musical Spiritual Home; St Kilda.
Capturing Hollyweird hearts with In Vivo's "uncategorizable rock style", LA Weekly (1997) wrote;
"Fiona is such a good-time gal and that broody guy of hers is actually a chap you'd like to call "mate". In the flesh, In Vivo don't take themselves nearly as seriously as you might think, thanks to a powerhouse lead singer who's a little bit Janis (Joplin) and a little bit Ethel (Merman). Buy her a beer and she'll tell you about how to "gettitinya."

Homesickness bought In Vivo back to Australia where they moved into St Kilda, The Greyhound Hotel became their second lounge room, in which collaborations with Fred Negro's Fuck Fucks, Shonky Tonk, The Twits and Giraffe Party were conspired over many frothys. With the debut Fiona Lee Maynard & Her Holy Men EP hot off the press, Fiona continues her musical mission with Her Holy Men; James Lomas and Billy Pommer Jnr, whilst finding time to appear as Bonita Scott and Roberta Plant, at Pure Pop Classic Album series (on 3 different albums) and at any Giraffe Parties!!

Fiona is "a woman with a past" and many St Kilda Music stories to share and secrets to keep.